I'm going in tomorrow to see a doctor of some sort to possibly diagnose my possible ADD. Now that I'm finally going to go to a doctor though, I'm starting to have second thoughts. Maybe I don't have ADD, maybe it's just how I am; or maybe I'm just telling myself this so I don't have to go tomorrow. Anyways, I'm going to describe some symptoms I experience that I think is due to ADD.

To start off, on the Diagnostic Criteria for ADHD thread I scored 7/9 on the inattention segment, which doesn't really tell me much. The following link, however, describes me almost perfectly (without hyperactivity side); I would say at least 90% of it applies to me.

http://www.ldpride.net/addsub-types.htm

And now for some actual symptoms (some of these are probably on the above link, but I want to provide some actual background instead of just a link):

-I seem to have almost no motivation for mundane tasks. Throughout my life I've had awful grades in school and attendance so poor I've almost been fined hundreds of dollars.
-My brain works in a really slow, disorganized way. Because of this I'm very uncharismatic, which I believe causes my next symptom.
-I used to have horrible social anxiety. I think the cause of it was/is the fact that my brain works the way it does, which, in short causes me to say things that are stupid, which makes me want to remain silent.
-Though I've brought my grades up to nearly acceptable (Ds and Cs), there are still classes that are IMPOSSIBLE for me to pass, specifically math. I've had algebra 2 for the past 2 years and I've failed it every time. I try to pay attention but I find my mind wandering, which makes it really hard to understand anything.
-I'm also pretty sure my mom and dad have ADD, though I don't know if that would mean anything or not.
There's more (a LOT more), but I think by now you should have an opinion formulated. Thank you for reading/responding, and please excuse my unoriginal and lackluster thread title.

Possum

02-13-12, 11:51 PM

Welcome to the forums, deskchairer! Many newbies wonder if they really have ADHD, and these forums are a great place to start gathering info and sharing experiences. Since I'm not a doctor, I won't presume to give you a diagnosis, but I will say that if you are concerned, consulting a physician is an excellent idea. Hopefully, you are consulting a specialist? Most GP's don't like to make a diagnosis of ADHD for various reasons.

And your school fines you for poor attendance? Wow! My college tuition fees would have doubled if they had done that to me. My attention span unmedicated is teensy tiny and if I was bored by a professor or subject or both, you would never find me in that class. In fact, one of my finer moments in college was when a boring prof announced that I had the highest grade on the midterm, and he had no idea who I was! Heh, heh, heh!

Best wishes to you on getting the right diagnosis and the help you need.

deskchairer

02-14-12, 12:29 AM

And your school fines you for poor attendance? Wow! My college tuition fees would have doubled if they had done that to me.

Actually I'm still in high school for another 3 months; the policy here is if you miss more than 8 days per year they'll threaten to fine you (which is funny because I've missed well over ten). On the topic though, I was wondering if I might have some trouble getting diagnosed due to the fact that I'm still technically a teenager (18), have long hair, and am a male; I fear the person I'm going to see is just going to assume I'm trying to get cheap drugs to relieve my teenage angst and send me off.

Possum

02-14-12, 12:50 AM

An experienced p-doc is going to look at the whole you - not just your hair. Your sex actually goes in your favor for someone who is old school, since back in the day, it was first thought that only males had ADHD.

I am female and only got diagnosed at age 46, so go figure. ADHD effects us all across the spectrum. Just honestly share your symptoms and concerns with your doc. If you feel that you are being judged only on externals, its perfectly acceptable to ask for a second opinion.